A former rough-sleeper, Tommy had been living at accommodation in Short Street at the time of his death.

Because Tommy has no next of kin, Cambridge City Council will pay for a basic funeral. But now regulars at Tommy’s favourite pub, the King Street Run in King Street, are trying to raise £5,000 to help the Cambridge Cyrenians, who had been providing Tommy’s accommodation, pay for his funeral.

Rebecca McCoy, who works at the pub, said: “I have worked there for nearly two years, but he was there every day and he was brilliant. He would sit there and chat and, if you were doing something or cleaning, he would try to help out.

Tommy McConnell was a regular at the King Street Run

“He was such a permanent fixture, it was strange when he didn’t arrive. The last thing he said to me was asking what shift I was on the next day. It is so weird. Even yesterday, I was expecting him to just come walking in round the corner.”

Brian Holman, manager at Cambridge Cyrenians, a group that provides accommodation and support for homeless people in Cambridge, paid tribute to Tommy, saying he was a “welcoming” man who always took people under his wing.

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The Cyrenians would like to put on a more personalised funeral for Tommy, including a longer service, a personalised sermon, and a hearse drive past the King Street Run and Tommy’s accommodation in Short Street.

He said he was pleased that the King Street Run was raising funds, and said that people could donate to the Cyrenians directly as well if they wanted to help people like Tommy.

“Tommy was a very well-known person in the community,” said Brian. “We would want to do something special for him, but that does cost. He was a very colourful character. He lived with us for 17 years. He had previously been sleeping rough in Cambridge.

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“He was very active in the local community and took his St Patrick’s Day and Christmas celebrations very seriously. He lived in the house with seven other residents and was an active part of the community and was very welcoming to new people moving into the house and took them under his arm.”